Five things to do instead of shopping

Avoid buying pointless stuff and start saving cash - here are some cheap, fun and interesting things to do

Go on a mystery tour by catching the next bus and seeing where it takes you

We all have to shop, and sometimes it can be fun. But we live in an age where shopping is one of the most popular leisure activities, and surely there must be more interesting, useful and enjoyable things to do than go shopping? Also, times are tight and many of us are having to reduce our spending. So what are some of the cheap things we can do that are better than shopping?

1. Play

Playing is great. Remember when you were young and used to do it all the time? As we get older it's easy to forget how good it is to play, so why not remind yourself by having a muck about? Play a game, play some sport, do some exercise, play with the dog, or just generally mess about.

It sometimes feels like we never spend enough time with the people we care about. Instead of shopping, you could spend some time with your friends, visit your family, meet your neighbours, get in touch with old friends or even just stroke your cat.

It always used to be fun to explore when we were kids, And there's no reason we should stop as adults. You could explore your local area and see there are things you had not discovered or noticed before, visit somewhere new or go on a mystery tour by catching the next bus and seeing where it takes you!

Reading can help you relax and learn as well as open up new places, ideas and opportunities. But it's easy to not find the time for it. So, instead of going shopping, curl up with a book and a cup of tea.

Learning shouldn't be something that we stop doing when we leave school. There's always something interesting and useful to learn - for example, learn about the world around you, research your family tree, visit a museum or art gallery or try a new language.

The 5 tips above are extracts from ‘Better than shopping! 10 things to do instead of shopping,' a leaflet written by director of Life² Richard Docwra. For five further tips you can download the leaflet for free for a limited period (until 7th September) - normally it costs £1. To download the guide, click here then go through the usual checkout process of purchasing. You will not be billed for it or asked to give any financial details.

About Life²

Based in Brighton, Life² is an organisation offering public talks, courses, publications and advice on a wide range of topics - from ‘our place in the universe' through to ‘how to live the life you want', and from ‘the problem with consumerism' through to ‘how to be happy'.

The aim is to help people to ‘live well' - to live happy and wise lives within the pressure and complexity of the modern world. It provides people with ideas, information and tools to help them get more out of life, see things more clearly and live with greater wisdom.

INVESTIGATIONOops, wrong brainWhat on earth are we thinking when we go into shops and buy lots of pointless stuff we just don’t need? John Naish says it’s not so much what’s on our minds, but which brain we use when we spend